1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to information processing apparatuses, methods for controlling the information processing apparatuses, and recording media including programs. The invention particularly relates to an information processing apparatus in which an appropriate operation mode is selected from among a plurality of operation modes used for data communication with a card-type medium, a method for controlling the information processing apparatus, and a recording medium including a program.
2. Related Art
In general, an example of a card-type medium which is used to store data in an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer and which is used for data communication includes a CF (Compact Flash (registered trademark)) card. Information processing apparatuses compatible with CF cards have card slots for the CF cards. When users insert the CF cards into the card slots, the information processing apparatuses access the CF cards.
The CF cards include memory cards and IC cards. When an information processing apparatus performs data transmission with a memory card, which is a CF card inserted into a card slot, a memory mode or a TrueIDE mode is selectively used. One of the operation modes is arbitrarily selected for the data transmission with the CF card. However, when the TrueIDE mode is used, high communication speed is likely to be attained. Therefore, in general, the information processing apparatus checks an operation mode compatible with the inserted CF card, and when it is determined that the CF card is compatible with the TrueIDE mode, the information processing apparatus accesses the CF card in the TrueIDE mode whereas when it is determined that the CF card is not compatible with the TrueIDE mode, the information processing apparatus accesses the CF card in the memory mode (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-355476, for example).
However, in some CF cards, a communication speed in the memory mode is higher than that in the TrueIDE mode. In this case, when the information processing apparatus performs data communication with such a CF card in the memory mode, a shorter data transmission time is attained.
In addition, the TrueIDE mode includes a PIO mode and an Ultra DMA mode. When the Ultra DMA mode included in the TrueIDE mode is used, a shorter data transmission time is attained when compared with data communication performed in the PIO mode included in the TrueIDE mode. Therefore, by selecting an operation mode compatible with a CF card is appropriately determined so that an appropriate operation mode which attains the shortest data transmission time, usability for the users is improved.